I'd Rather Be There
by swimchic2
Summary: This is the sequel to ‘I’d Rather Be Anywhere But Here.’ Jess was in California. Rory was at Yale. Jess came to Stars Hollow and then left again, leaving Rory with a heavy burden to carry. What does he do? What does she do? Read and find out. Li
1. Chapter 1

I'd Rather Be There

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: How many times must I explain this to you?  I didn't own it last time and…..well….things haven't changed. (LOL)

Pairing: Read it and find out! :D

Rating: PG-13…….can't have a fic without cussing. :P

Summary: This is the sequel to 'I'd Rather Be Anywhere But Here.'  So…Jess was in California.  Rory was at Yale.  Jess came to Stars Hollow and then left again, leaving Rory in the dust with a heavy burden to carry.  If ya don't know what know what I'm talking about then go read the above mentioned fic! 

A/N: I love my readers and reviewers!  This takes off after Jess has left.  So without further adieu….. Hope you like it……Hopefully it's as good as the first one……and don't forget to review.  If this sucks hard and it's not reaching the quality that it should….then please review and tell me!  'Cause only the readers can give an honest opinion. :D  PS- I'm a little hyper today because I got my braces off!!! Chewy food here I come!

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Jess had been gone for hours yet Rory still remained outside sitting on the cement curb.  Although she was freezing, she couldn't seem to get up.  She had finally stopped crying…but not because she wasn't sad anymore, it was because she didn't have the strength.

She sat there thinking sadly about how happy she would have been if he had told her this 6 months ago when they were still together.  _Oh Jess, why did you have to come back and do this?  _She sighed deeply and rubbed her eyes.  _I don't know what to do._

Rory started to try and fix her hair.   She patted it down and tucked the loose strands behind her ears.  _I have to go home.  Mom is probably freaking out.  I've got to straighten up.  She can't ever find out about this.  _She grabbed a hold of the curb and steadied herself as she stood up.  She placed an unstable foot on the grass, took a step forward and the next thing she knew, she was flying through the air.  She landed face first on the ground.

Rory clutched the grass as she got into a sitting position and looked at her legs.  Her tights were grass-stained and large holes were now at the knees.  "Oh no," She said mournfully, "These were my good tights."

She crawled across the grass in search of a pole that could help her get up.  It was very dark and she could hardly see.  _This town needs more street lights.  _She finally found one and managed to stand.  She held onto it for awhile before trying to walk again.  This time she didn't fall and she started to walk slowly to her house.

Rory arrived in front of the house to see that all of the inside lights were on.  She climbed the stairs weakly and opened the door.

"Mom," She called faintly.

"Rory?  Rory!  Where are you?" Lorelai yelled.

"In here," She answered.

Lorelai rushed into the living room and her eyes widened as she looked her daughter up and down.  "What happened?  You're bleeding!"

Rory looked down to see dark red circles forming at her knees.  "Oh," She said timidly.  _I didn't even know.  I couldn't feel it.  _It was as though something broke when she saw the blood.  "I'm bleeding!" She wailed.  Tears started to fall quickly and Lorelai rushed forward to hug her.  Rory collapsed gratefully into her mother's arms and continued to cry into her shoulder.

Lorelai guided her to the couch and they sat down.  She rubbed her back and tried to comfort her, but she was confused about a lot of things.  She waited for Rory to calm down before asking, "Babe, what happened to you?"

Rory dried her eyes with her sleeve.  "I was walking and then I tripped and fell," Rory babbled as she sniffled and tried to catch her breath.  "I didn't know that I was bleeding," She finished sadly.

Lorelai frowned.  "Hun, its 11:30.  Why were you out so late?"

Rory ignored the question and started to tug at her tights.  Lorelai helped her slip them off and walked her to the bathroom.  She dug around in the drawers, looking for a first-aid kit.  Her search was unsuccessful.  "Babe, I'll be right back.  I'm gonna go call Luke."  Rory nodded.

Lorelai ran into the kitchen, grabbed the phone, and dialed Luke's number.  It rang and rang before he finally answered, "What?"

"Luke!  Do you have a first-aid kit?" Lorelai asked anxiously.

"Lorelai?!"  Luke asked, concerned.

"Do you have a first-aid kit?" She repeated.

"What happened?" Luke asked as he hopped out of bed.

"Rory…and her knees…..and the blood…" Lorelai babbled.

"I'll be right over!" Luke got dressed and grabbed his kit.  He raced over to Lorelai's house and came in through the back door.

"Lorelai?!"

"In here!" She yelled from the bathroom.

Luke walked into the bathroom and frowned when he saw Rory.  "What happened?" He asked worriedly.

Lorelai stood up and whispered in his ear, "I'm not sure, I can't understand her, I'm going to drop it now and try to find out more tomorrow." 

Luke nodded understandingly.  He opened the kit and pulled out some rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab.  He started to wipe it onto a knee.  She winced and yelled, "Ow!"  _That's the first time that I've actually felt any pain.  _He put some Neosporin on it and gently placed a butterfly band-aid on the top.  He did the same to the other knee too.

"Thanks," She told him faintly.

"Sure…does it hurt much?"

"It's okay," Rory answered.

Luke and Lorelai left the bathroom and walked into the kitchen.

"Does it look okay?   You think that it'll get infected?" Lorelai asked worriedly as she leaned against the counter.

Luke shook his head.  "I don't think so.  It's not so much deep as it is wide.  There shouldn't be any problems."

Lorelai smiled sincerely.  "Thanks Luke.  I don't know what we'd do without you."

Luke blushed slightly and grabbed his kit.  "So, you don't have any idea what happened?"

"Nope.  She came home and I said something about how she was bleeding and she just started bawling," Lorelai answered.

Luke frowned.  _I wonder….I swear…If he was the cause of this…_  "Hmm. Maybe you'll find out more tomorrow." Luke walked towards the door.

"Yeah.  Thanks again!"

"No problem," He said as he grabbed the door handle.

"See you tomorrow."

"I hope she feels better," He said as he closed the door and started to walk back towards the diner.  _This had better not be his fault.  I swear….I'll kill him.  I think I'll give him a call tomorrow…..Make sure he made it home…See what he did to her.  He had to have done something.  When does he not cause trouble?  It's his favorite pass-time._

When he got back to the apartment, he walked over to Jess' old room.  It was only the second time that he had been in it in six months.  Everything was just how Jess had left it…bed unmade, glasses on the nightstand, there were even some books lying around.  _I guess he forgot about these.  _He walked over to a book and picked it up.  _What a piece of crap.  _It was a paperback whose cover was all raggedy and the edges were frayed.  It was bent in half as though it had been shoved in a pocket.

He skimmed through the book and frowned when he saw writing in it.  _What a piece of crap!  Who would want this?  Maybe that's why he left it…or maybe he got this when he couldn't afford real books.  _He looked at the other books and found that they were all just like the first.  _I should throw them away….he's certainly not using them._

Luke tossed them into a box and started to carry them to the door, but he suddenly stopped.  _Rory might like them…since she likes to read and all.  _He set the box down on the table and headed back to bed.  _I'll have to remember that tomorrow._

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Jess yawned as he pulled off of the road.  He had been driving for a few hours and he was exhausted, so he decided to pull off the road and take a little nap.  He turned off the car and started to search underneath his seat for a book.  He raised an eyebrow when he not only found the book, but the purple blanket too.  _Now I know_ _that was Luke. _

He lay back in his seat and unfolded the blanket.  It reminded him of Rory.  _Oh god….what did I do?!  I ruined everything…even the slight chance of being friends with her…although I don't know if I could handle that._

He closed his eyes.  _I wonder if I should call Jimmy….no.  I'm sure he could care less.  _Jess had decided earlier that he was going to crash in New York for awhile.  He still had over a week of vacation….and he actually didn't know how to get back to California.  He would go over to Liz's for a day or so just to say hi….maybe grab some CD's and books that he had left there.  Thinking of books, once again brought him back to Rory.  _Why did I say that?  Really, when will I ever learn to keep my thoughts in my head? I only seem to have that problem when I'm around her…_

Jess sighed as he grabbed her picture out of his book.  _god I miss her….being able to talk with her.  Seeing her squirm around me…._Jess broke off his thoughts and shut his eyes quickly.  His next thought was a painful one…_seeing her cry around me….because of me, and my yelling.  _He was thinking about the night of the party.  His eyes widened.  _I completely forgot about that!  My original reason for going to Stars Hollow was to tell her why I left in the first place.  And that didn't happen….Instead I ran away again.  I think I deserve some kind of award for that….huh…..maybe I should consider track.  _He smirked slightly at the thought of him running circles around grass in gym clothes.  _Scratch that._

He looked at her picture sadly.  He was having major regrets about telling her….yet it was good to get it out.  _I wonder if it could have been different if maybe, I would have told her why I left and that I was sorry, instead of 'I love you.'  I LOVE YOU?!?!  She's not even my girlfriend anymore.  I totally blew my chance at a friendship.  I am such a moron._

_But…I also wonder what she would have done if I wouldn't have ran a few hours ago.  Maybe she would have yelled at me… 'I hate you,' or 'Don't talk to me,' 'Leave me alone,' 'Go away, get out of my town and don't come back' or……_Jess swallowed hardly….._Maybe she would have returned the feelings….no.  I might as well forget that….that definitely would not have happened._

He moved his fingers slowly across the picture.  _I screwed up the one thing that I had…well, if I ever even had that.  _He took a breath and closed his eyes again.  He eventually fell asleep, holding her picture in one hand and the blanket in the other.

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A/N: What do you think?  Is this a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad sequel?  Tell me, tell me, tell me!  Okay, I'll stop whining….but only if you review….a lot….and tell me….if I should stop (that was a lovely rhyme, don't you think ;)  Anyways, please review and tell me if I should continue…or I could always stop…it's you choice :D__


	2. Chapter 2

I'd Rather Be There

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: It's all mine! *evil laugh*  NOT!!!  I'm just kidding…unfortunately.  I own nothing besides my pen…and my notebook…oh and my laptop too.  But that was gift…..anyways… back to the subject I am in no way, shape or form affiliated with Amy Sherman-Palladino…or the tv show…or moneyL...yeah…. So. Don't. Sue. Me. :D

Pairing: Duh….I'm not gonna tell…but I'm sure you've figured it out by now…it's R/B!  LOL! J/K.  Brian is going to go far far away….in his own time….which may or may not be anytime soon…If you don't know who Brian is then go and read my first fic, I'd Rather Be Anywhere But Here.  Thanks :D

Rating: PG-13.  Cussing, fighting, sex…….Just kidding!  Only cussing!!!!!!! None of the other. :P

Summary: This is the sequel to 'I'd Rather Be Anywhere But Here.'  So…Jess was in California.  Rory was at Yale.  Jess came to Stars Hollow and then left again, leaving Rory in the dust with a heavy burden to carry.  If ya don't know what know what I'm talking about then go read the above mentioned fic! 

A/N: I got this one up fast didn't I?  I did it just for you! And it's a long chapter too! :D  Love the reviews…I'll try to get another chapter up this week.  Keep reviewing! :D

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Rory came into the diner and sat down at the counter.  She cringed when her knees bent. She could feel pain today and she thought that it was really weird that she couldn't feel it yesterday.

"Hey, how you feeling?" Luke asked as he popped in front of her with a cup of coffee in hand.

She accepted it thankfully.  "I'm okay I guess.   My knees kinda hurt."

Luke nodded.  "Where's your mom?" He asked curiously.

"She's got to work today….she left me a note.  She's supposed to be home by 4:00."

"Oh," Luke said as he wiped the counter off.

"Could I have a sprinkled donut please?"

Luke gave her the donut and went off to help another customer.  He came back by a few minutes later as she was getting ready to leave.

"Hey Rory, I found some old books upstairs…I thought you might be interested in them, maybe…I was gonna toss them, but go ahead and take a look.  If you see anything you want, then it's yours."

Rory nodded.  _Old books.__  Good.  I need something to read.  _"Thanks," She said as she grabbed her purse and headed up the stairs.

As she approached the door, a wave of memories hit her.  _Stop, stop, stop, stop, STOP!  _She walked into the apartment and saw a box sitting on the table.  She looked inside and inhaled sharply when she saw its contents.  "Old books!"  She exclaimed quietly.  _These are not just any old books!  These belong to Jess.  _She could tell by there outward appearance alone, but she opened one anyways to double check.  She smiled sadly as she viewed his scratchy writing that filled up the margins.

Rory sighed._ What am I gonna do about this?  Maybe…..it wasn't true……maybe it was a lie.  _She frowned.  _If he was lying….then he should be an actor because that was a very sincere look on his face.  But…but…but…he left me.  I can't do anything about it now.  He's back in California by now and I'm here…all of the United States is between us…and I'll probably never see him again.  So I've got to give it up….give it all up and cherish the memories._

She slowly picked up the box and carried it down the stairs.  _I can't let Luke throw these away.  _She looked around and walked over to Luke.  He saw that she was carrying the box and he raised an eyebrow.

"I would like to take them if you don't mind," Rory said as she approached him.

"You gonna toss 'em?"

"No," Rory said smirking, "I'm gonna _read_ them."

Luke looked at her curiously.  "Aren't they ruined?"

She shook her head.

Luke frowned, "But they're all ripped and torn and graffitied….did you notice that?"

"They must be good books then," Rory said as she flipped through one.

"Hmm….well yeah.  Do what you want."

"Thanks," She told him before leaving the diner and heading towards her house.  She was almost there when she turned abruptly and walked to the bridge.

Rory sat down in the middle of the bridge and set the box next to her.  Her feet dangled over the side and she stared deeply in to the dark blue water.  She allowed the memories to come this time.  _I remember the first time that we came here together.  It was for the bid-a-basket thing…and he outbidded Dean.  I guess that was the day that I really go to know him.  I thought then, that he had outbidded Dean just to piss him off, but I guess I subconsciously knew the real reason….that he liked me…but I denied it. _

She started to pull at her sleeve.  _And maybe, on that day, I started to have feelings for him too. _ Rory's stomach began to ache as she realized that it was true.  She frowned miserably.  _I'm a horrible person.  How could I have feelings for someone else when I had a boyfriend?!  I didn't even object to the picnic with Jess!  I let my boyfriend walk away and I ate with another guy!_

Her mind wandered back to that day.  Rory smiled as she remembered how she had tricked him into eating that gunk, and how when she had asked him why he was only nice to her he pretended to be confused and avoided the question by changing the subject.  _We had so much fun that day._

Rory's thoughts jumped suddenly to Sookie's wedding.  The kiss.  That kiss was definitely the most spontaneous thing that she had ever done.  With ditching school coming in at a close second.  She could remember every detail of it, as if it had happened yesterday…She had glanced over and there he was, standing by a tree.  She had walked over to him and asked him why he was there.  He said just because…and at that moment, when those words had escaped from his mouth, she had the thought that maybe, just maybe, he was back for her…and that was exhilarating.

Something had come over her that day.  She couldn't control herself…or her thoughts.  It was as though someone had jumped into her body…..someone who was brave and daring, which was, in her opinion, very unlike her.

She smiled sadly at her reflection as she remembered how good his lips had felt on hers…not just the first time, but every time.  Rory wrinkled her face in disgust as tears formed in the corners of her eyes.  _I have cried more in the past 24 hours then I have in my entire life!  And over what?  Three little words and a boy._

Rory looked into the box and searched for a familiar title.  She came across a book finally, but it was a book that she hated.  The book was 'A Farewell to Arms' by Earnest Hemingway.  Rory opened the book and lay onto her back.  She did not read the book itself….but instead she read the notes, his notes, that filled up the margins of every page.  She could not stand the book, but that didn't matter.  She missed talking to him…and this was the closest thing that she had.  She found it comforting to have a part of him with her.

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Later that afternoon, Luke grabbed the phone and started to search for Jess's number.  He found it and dialed.

"Hello?" A man answered.

Luke rolled his eyes.  "Jimmy," He acknowledged.

Jimmy recognized the voice and groaned.  "What do you want Luke?"   

"Let me talk to him."

"Talk to who?" Jimmy asked frowning.  

"Jess," Luke said annoyed.

"He ain't here."

Luke frowned.  "Well, where is he?"

"Hell if I know," He answered rudely.

"He's gotta be," Luke said as he started to count on his fingers, "He left over 16 hours ago."

"I think I would know if my son was here," Jimmy said into the phone.

"Oh, so suddenly he's your son?  You show up 18 years later after never having any interest in him and now he's your son?" Luke asked loudly.

Jimmy's face fumed.  "Shut the hell up Luke!"

Luke didn't want to start a fight, he didn't have time, he needed to find Jess.  "Call me if he shows up," He said before hanging up.  _Where the hell is he?  What if he got into a car accident?  What if something happened to him?_

Luke started to wipe the counter nervously.  _Where could he be?  _He decided that he'd wait an hour and if he didn't show up then he'd call the police and see if any accidents had been reported.

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Jess slowly walked up the stairs to Liz's apartment.  He had spent all morning checking out old book and CD stores, but now he was ready to see Liz.

Jess raised his hand and knocked twice.

"I'm coming!"  She yelled.  The door swung open shortly and Liz's eyes widened in surprise.  "Jess!" She exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around him tightly.  He stood there stiffly and cleared his throat to hint that he was done with the whole hugging thing.  She let go of him and stepped back to examine him.  "You look great."

"Can I come in?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Liz said as he walked past her.  She shut the door and followed him.  "So, what are ya doing here?"

"Uh, I just, was uh, leaving Stars Hollow, and thought that I'd come by before heading back to California," He answered.

She nodded.  "So how have you been?"

"Fine.  You?"

"Good," She answered.  "Are you hungry?"

"No."

"Okay…" She looked at her watch and started to say something when she was interrupted by the ringing of the phone.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Liz, is Jess here?"

Liz frowned.  "Yeah Luke, he's here."

Luke sighed with relief but quickly exchanged his joy for anger.  "Let me talk to him."

"Hang on," She held the phone out to Jess.  "It's for you."

Jess frowned and grabbed the phone.  "What?"

"Don't you ever do that again!" Luke shouted into the phone.

"Do what?" Jess asked.

"Leave town and not go where you were supposed to!"

"And where would that be?" Jess asked.

"Cut the crap, you were supposed to go back to California and you didn't.  I thought that something had happened to you!"

Jess smirked.  "Aw…you were worried about me."

"I just wanted make sure that you got home safely."

"Huh," Jess said nodding.

"So what did you do?" Luke asked into the phone.

"I drove to New York…obviously."

"No…what did you do to Rory?" Luke corrected.

Jess raised an eyebrow in confusion.  His throat became tight and he took a deep breath.  "Rory?" Jess asked softly.

"Yes, what did you do to Rory?" Luke repeated.

Jess was stunned.  _Surely she didn't tell him….maybe she told her mother.  _He cleared his throat.  "I..I..didn't do anything."

"Hmm…for some reason I don't believe you."

"I didn't **do **anything to Rory," Jess insisted.

"Okay, then what did you **say** to Rory?" 

Jess groaned.  "Not much."

"So you did talk to her."

Jess sighed, "For about two seconds."

"Why?" Luke persisted.

"Because she was pissed off."  _Really pissed off.__  And she had good reason to be. _

"So you didn't break her heart?" Luke asked roughly.

A lump formed in his throat.  _I…didn't break her heart…did I?  _He noticed that he was breathing heavily and concentrated on fixing it.

"Jess?" Luke asked loudly, making his nephew jump.

"No.  I didn't break her heart," Jess finally responded.  _There's no way that I could have…_

"Well…." Luke didn't quite believe him because he wasn't sure what else could have happened to her, but he could hear the honesty in his voice, and decided to drop it.  "Do you know when you're going home?"

"No," Jess answered, glad for the change of subject.

"Will you call me before you leave?"

"Yeah, whatever," He replied.

"All right, bye."

"Bye."  Jess turned off the phone and threw it onto the couch.  He stared off into space and considered the question.

Liz watched him and was about to ask him what was wrong, but decided that he probably wouldn't tell her anyway.

After a few minutes he pulled his book out and began to read.

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Rory was sitting on the couch channel surfing.  There was nothing on and she was bored out of her mind.  She had came in from the bridge a few hours ago, and she had finished two of the books.  She wanted to read them all but she was too tired to read and to restless to sleep.

The books were sitting on the couch next to Rory.  She was afraid that they would get lost, or thrown away, or even, that they would disappear altogether….that she would wake up and they would be a dream…that the whole morning would be a dream…so she kept them right there with her.

The vibration of her purse interrupted her thoughts.  She glared at it, before reaching over, opening her purse and grabbing her cell phone.

The word 'Brian' flashed across the screen.  She groaned and threw her phone back into her purse.  _I don't want to talk to him.  What am I going to do about him?  He is very nice.  He likes books, we have a good time together…but he's not…Jess.  Only Jess is Jess.  _She frowned.  _I am brilliant.  Only a genius could possibly know that Jess is Jess._

Her phone vibrated again and she looked at the screen.  Brian again.  _He's awfully persistent. _She waited for the phone to stop, before checking her messages.

"Hi Rory, this is Brian.  Uh, I was just calling to see what's up.  I haven't heard from you in a few days.  Give me a call.  Bye."

"Hi Rory, this is Brian again.  If you aren't busy, I was wondering if you'd like to go out to dinner tonight.  I'll try your dorm again…Are you mad at me?  Did I do something?  Give me a call."

Rory sighed.  _I better call him…I don't want him to think that he did anything wrong…because he didn't._

She picked up the phone and dialed slowly.  He answered after the first ring.  "Hello?"

"Hi Brian, this is Rory."

"Rory.  Hi, how are you?" He asked curiously.

She looked down at her knees before responding, "Okay.  How about you?"

"I'm good.  So you got my messages?"

"Yeah," Rory nodded.  "I just got the ones on my cell."

"I called your dorm a few times but no one ever answered."

"Yeah, I'm visiting home.  I think every one else probably is too." Rory explained.

"Stars Willow was it?"

Rory smirked.  "Stars Hollow," She corrected.

"Oh, so could you go out to dinner tonight?"

"Uh…" Rory stalled.  "I've got other arrangements."

"Oh," Brian said disappointedly.

"But I could make it tomorrow," Rory said quickly.  She didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"In Stars Hollow?" Brian asked.

Rory coughed.  "Oh, um, I could drive back to Yale…it's not that far."

"Oh, no," Brian said, "I'll drive there."

_Oh great.  That way he can meet my mom.  _Rory frowned.  "We could meet halfway," Rory suggested.

Brian laughed.  "No, no.  I'll drive to Stars Hollow…I can get directions off the internet."

"But…but, you might not be able to find my house." Rory knew that her statement was ridiculous but she really didn't want her mom to meet him and like him like she probably would.

"Is it a big town?"

Rory grinned.  "It's pretty big."

"Well…" Brian paused.  "If you give me your address then it will give me directions on the internet.  It's very high-tech these days."

She gave him her address half-heartedly and they set the date.  He was going to pick her up at 6:30 the next day.

"Okay, well, see you tomorrow," Rory said trying to sound cheerful.

"Can't wait," He said happily.

Rory sighed as she hung up the phone.  She looked at the box of books.  "Jess…what have I got myself into?" She whispered to the box.

She wanted to call him.  She **really** wanted to call him.  But she resisted the verge and resumed her channel surfing.

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A few hours later, Rory and Lorelai were eating pizza on the couch.  Lorelai was trying to bring up the subject of last night, but she couldn't find a way to bring it up casually.  So they were eating in awkward silence.  Lorelai looked around the room to find something to talk about.  Her eyes landed on the box that was sitting next to the couch.

"What is that?" Lorelai asked between bites.

Rory followed her mothers gaze and squirmed uncomfortably when she saw that Lorelai was looking at the books.  She hadn't thought about how she would explain them.  "Uh…looks like a box," Rory answered.

Lorelai nodded.  "Is it your box?"

"Yes," Rory said simply.

"And what is inside of it?"

Rory shifted in her seat.  "Books…"

"Where did you get them?" Lorelai persisted.

"Luke," Rory answered honestly.

Lorelai raised her eyebrows.  "Luke doesn't read."

Rory cleared her throat.  "Well, uh…they're actually Jess's books," Rory admitted.

"Oh," Lorelai said, obviously confused.  "So, we're going to keep them in the living room?"

Rory shrugged.

Lorelai sighed.  "Rory, what happened last night?" Lorelai finally blurted out.

Rory looked up with wide eyes.  "Wha-what do you mean?"

"Hmm," Lorelai pretended to think, "Where should I start?  Why were you late?  How did you trip and what did Jess do?"

"I already told you.  I was walking in the grass and I tripped.  And I was out late sitting on the curb thinking…I lost track of time." Rory explained.

"And what about Jess?" Lorelai asked through clenched teeth.

"What about him?"

"What did he say to you?" Lorelai said annoyed.

"Nothing."

"He said nothing?" Lorelai asked unbelievingly. 

"Well he said some stuff…..stupid stuff," Rory told her mother.

"Like what?"

"I don't know," Rory lied, "I can't remember…I think he asked me about my running…I only talked to him for a few minutes."

Lorelai squinted at her.  "Are you sure?"

Rory took a deep breath.  "Yes."

Lorelai looked at her again.  "Okay," She said taking another bite of her pizza.  She knew that Rory wasn't good at lying and that she was bound to crack sometime.  And it would probably be soon.

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A/N:  Am  I in character?  Is it good so far?  What do you think?  Please review. :D


	3. Chapter 3

I'd Rather Be There

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah.  You know the drill.  It's not mine, so get off my back! :P

Pairing:  Well…..I don't want to tell but….it's not R/T and it's not R/D….so what does that leave??? Hmm…figure it out.

Rating: PG-13.  Just for cussing.  Nothing else.  

Summary: This is the sequel to 'I'd Rather Be Anywhere But Here.'  So…Jess was in California.  Rory was at Yale.  Jess came to Stars Hollow and then left again, leaving Rory in the dust with a heavy burden to carry.  If ya don't know what know what I'm talking about then go read the above mentioned fic! 

A/N:  Well…I must say.  I've only gotten like 7 reviews so far and I'm a little disappointed.  Does this really suck?  Should I stop?  Can you hardly stand reading this?  I don't know.  About 4 new people added themselves to my review alert list.   But they didn't review…so if one of them is you…then please review. It really doesn't take much effort. :D Thanks!  

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Rory and Lorelai were sitting at Luke's.  Rory was eating waffles and Lorelai was eating pancakes.

"So is he nice?" Lorelai asked her daughter excitedly.

"Yes, very nice," Rory said nodding.  She was telling her mom about Brian.

"Sense of humor?"

"Uh, huh," Rory answered.

"You think I'll like him?" 

_I hope not.  _"Yeah."

They finished their food and stood up.  The two walked towards the door.  

"So you'll be back at 4:00?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, maybe a little earlier," Lorelai answered.

"It sucks that you have to work this week," Rory informed her.

"I know…" Lorelai agreed.  "I might be able to make it home by 12:00 tomorrow."

"Okay….well, I'm gonna go." Rory said and hugged her mom before walking out the door.

Lorelai was about to do the same when Luke grabbed her shoulder.  "Lorelai."

She turned around.  "Yes?"

He looked around the diner.  "Can I talk to you upstairs for a minute?"

She frowned.  "Yeah, sure."  She followed him up the stairs and into the apartment.  She sat down on the couch and he leaned against a chair.

"I talked to Jess yesterday…" Luke began, "And guess where he is."

"In Mexico shootin' up?" Lorelai joked.

Luke shook his head.

"In California shootin' up?"

Luke rolled his eyes in annoyance.  "He is not 'shootin' up' Lorelai.  He does not do that."

"Well…I don't know…graffiting something?"

"The only thing that he graffiti's is books." Luke responded.

"I give up."

"He's in New York, at Liz's apartment," Luke told her.

Lorelai frowned.  "Why?"

"I don't know.  Anyways…I uh, asked him if he, uh…." He cleared his throat, "did anything to Rory."

You could almost see the fire burning in Lorelai's eyes.  She knew that he was the cause of this…and even if he wasn't, she would find a way to blame him anyway.

"And he said that he didn't," Luke continued.

"He is such a liar!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Lorelai…" Luke started, "I'm not sure if he is…"

She cut him off.  "Well of course he is!" 

"He sounded really honest…" Luke stated.  He was not going to let her talk about Jess that way.  She didn't even know him.  He knew that if Jess had hurt Rory (in a mental way) that he had done it unintentionally, because Luke could see the change in him when he was around her.

Lorelai sighed.  "Well, I talked to Rory about it and she sounded really….dishonest!" She reprimanded.

"Well…then maybe they're both lying," Luke suggested, although he was unsure if it was true or not.

Lorelai considered this and decided that it was reasonable enough.  "So that's what you wanted to tell me?"

Luke nodded, "Yeah."

"Okay, well…did he say what they talked about?"

"He said that they only talked for a few minutes…and that she was really mad."

Lorelai made a face.  "Rory said that he asked her about running and that she couldn't remember anything else….which I'm thinking was the lying part."

"Hmm.."

"Well, she's got a date tonight, he's picking her up at the house and they'll probably eat here…" Lorelai told him.

Luke nodded.  "I'll supervise."

Lorelai smiled slightly.  "Thanks."

She got up and headed towards the door.  "I'll keep you posted!" She shouted and with that, she was out the door, and on her way to work.  _I am sure that Rory is over Jess… but I won't tell her about him being in New York anyways._

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Rory was just finishing putting her make-up on when the doorbell rang.

"I've got it!" Lorelai yelled as she ran down the stairs.  Rory came from her rrom and met her at the door.

Lorelai opened the door.  "Whooo are you?" She asked him, in imitation of the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland.

Brian smiled and held out his hand, "Hello.  I'm Brian Moore."

Lorelai looked at his hand questionably before shaking it.  "I'm Lorelai Gilmore, creator of Rory," She told him.

"Come inside Brian," Rory urged him.  "I'll go grab my purse."  Rory walked off leaving Lorelai and Brian alone.

"So, how old are you?  Have you ever been arrested?  And are you a safe driver?" Lorelai shooted off questions at him, and he noticed that she was joking.

"I'm 55.  I've been arrested twice and I don't even have a driver's license." He answered, playing along.

Lorelai smiled.  "This one's a real winner Rory," She told her daughter as she entered the room.

"Ready?" She asked him, trying to leave as quickly as possible.

He nodded.  "It was nice meeting you Ms. Gilmore." He told her as he walked out the door.  Rory hugged her mom good-bye before following Brian.

"Get her home by 12:00 or I'll send out the flying monkeys!" Lorelai yelled after them, smirking to herself at her reference to the Wizard of Oz.

Brian allowed Rory to pick where they ate since he hadn't ever been to Stars Hollow.  She, of course, picked the diner because it obviously served the best food in town, and it was a place that she felt comfortable at.

Rory groaned when they walked into the diner and saw Ms. Patty and Babette sitting in a corner.  _Oh great, now the whole town will know about him.  Wonderful._

Ms. Patty and Babette gasped when they saw Brian and started to whisper to each other.

"Who is that?"

"He's quite a catch."

"He's got a nice butt."

"Lets go over there."

Luke could hear this from where he was standing and quickly walked over to block their way.

"Luke," they whined.

"Rory's on a date," He told them sternly.

"We just want to go over and say hi."

"No," He said shaking his head.

"But…" They protested.

"You are not going over there."

They both sighed and said, "Oh fine," and walked out the door, gawking at Brian along the way.

Luke rolled his eyes and walked over to Rory and Brian, who were situated by now.

"You're gonna be the talk of the town within minutes," Luke told Rory.

Rory chuckled.  "Yeah," She agreed.  "Oh! This is Brian….Brian this is Luke."

They said hello and shook hands.

Luke pulled out his notepad and pencil.  "Are you ready to order?"

They nodded.  He started with Brian.

"I'll have a chicken salad with ranch dressing…on the side." He ordered.  Rory looked at him oddly before ordering her usual, hamburger and fries.  _A salad?__  That is…un-human.  Who goes to a diner to order a salad?  Jess would never do that.  _Her heart sank at the thought of Jess.  _I'm not supposed to be thinking about him.  I'm on a date…this was a bad choice.  We should not have come here.  I should have known better._

She snapped her attention back to Brian, who was talking about something.  She wasn't quite sure what it was, so she nodded whenever she thought that it was called for and gave an occasional 'uh-huh.'

She looked down and realized that they were sitting at the same table that her and Jess had sat at on the night of the car accident.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Start Flashback*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_Jess writes something on a notepad and hands it to Rory.  "Done."_

_She looks at it.  "This is not Shakespeare."_

_Jess raises an eyebrow.  "It's not?"_

_"It's the words to a Clash song."_

_Jess nods.  "Ah, now, which Clash song?"_

_Rory frowns.  "Hey, I'm not the one being tested right now."_

_"Ten seconds," He tells her._

_"Jess."___

_"Nine, eight, seven."___

_"Stop it!" She exclaims._

_"Six, five, four," He continues._

_"You know you're starting to…"_

_He looks at his watch.  "Three."_

_Rory looks at the paper.  "Ooh, ooh, Guns of Brixton!"_

_He smirks.  "A plus."_

_"Why would you even agree to this studying thing in the first place?" She asks him._

_"Because Luke said I had to."_

_"You've never done anything because someone said you had to," She says._

_"I moved here because someone said I had to."_

_"Very different."__ She tells him._

_He shrugs.  "Yeah, well…hey, do you wanna get out of here?"_

_She looks confused.  "What?"_

_"I'm sick of studying."_

_Rory laughs.  "How can you be sick of studying? You haven't done any studying. You've done card tricks, you've made coffee, you've tried to explain to me how on earth Coldplay could be considered an alternative band, but as of yet, no studying."_

_Jess stands up and looks out the window.  "That's your car?"_

_"Yes it is," She answers._

_He sits back down.  "Okay, I'll tell you what.  Let's go get some ice cream, and then when we get back, I'll study._

_"This is a diner.  There's ice cream here."_

_"Yes, but we don't have any cones," He explains._

_"Cones?"___

_"I need cones," He says._

_"Well, so, if we go get ice cream…"_

_"In cones," He adds._

_"Then you'll be a perfect student for the rest of the night?"_

_"That's right he says nodding._

_"I could not believe you less.  Here," She says as she hands him the keys, "You drive.  I'll read you Othello.  Won't that be fun?"_

_"You have no idea how much." He says as he grabs his jacket and they walk out the door._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*End Flashback*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rory smiled and then quickly frowned when she noticed that she had been smiling.  _I should not be smiling.  I should not be thinking about him.  _She furrowed her eyebrows and scrunched up her nose.  _But I **can't** stop thinking about him._

Brian noticed the look on her face and became worried.  "Rory?"

She didn't answer.

"Rory?" He asked again, waving his hand at her.

She finally heard him and looked at him, startled.

"Is something wrong?  You seem kinda out of it."

She coughed.  _Yes, actually.  My boyfriend…whoops…**ex**-boyfriend, although we really never broke up at all, came back to town, told me that he loved me, and left again.  How do you feel about that Brian? _ She had to bite her lip to keep from shouting that at him.  "Uh…my stomach hurts," She told him as she clutched it.  _Well it's not quite a lie.  It does hurt, but not because I'm sick._

He looked at her concerned.  "Do you want me to drive you home?"

She nodded.  "I'm really sorry Brian."

Luke was just coming out with their orders as they were standing up.

"She's not feeling well.  I'm going to take her home," Brian explained to him.

Luke sat down the food and walked over to her.  That fatherly feeling that he had towards her was kicking in.  "What's wrong?"

"My stomach and my head hurt," She told him.

"Do you want me to call your mom?"

She shook her head.  "No, that's okay.  I'm sorry about the food," She told him sincerely.

"That's alright.  Well, I'll probably see you tomorrow." He told her. 

 Brian and Rory walked out the door and headed towards the car.

Luke watched them and wondered if she could still possibly have feelings for Jess.  He decided not to say anything about it to Lorelai….It would just piss her off some more.

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Lorelai heard the front door open and she jumped up, grabbing a pillow off the couch.  If worst came to worst, she was prepared to attack.

She ran towards the door yelling, "Robber!  Robber!" At the top of her lungs.  She stopped when she saw Rory.  "Rory!" She exclaimed.

"You were going to beat me with a pillow?" 

"Well, I thought that you were a-" Rory cut her off.

"Robber?"

"Yes.  You only left 30 minutes ago.  Why are you back?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh, uh, I've got a headache," She told her.  Her stomach had stopped hurting once she had left the diner.

"Oh."

"I'm gonna go to bed…" Rory started to walk to her room but changed her mind and turned around.  "I think maybe some fresh air would help…I'm gonna go for a walk," She told her.

"Do you want me to come?" Lorelai asked.

"No. I'd rather be alone, if you don't mind."

Lorelai nodded.  "Be back in an hour."

"Okay."

"Oh, by the way, I liked him!" Lorelai yelled after her.

Rory closed the door behind her.  _I knew she would._

She walked over to Lane's.  She wanted to talk to someone about her situation before she went crazy, and she figured that Lane was her best bet.

She knocked on the door.  Mama Kim opened it.  "Hello Rory."

"Hi, Mrs. Kim," Rory greeted.

 "Lane is in her room.  You can talk for half an hour and then we have bible-study class."

"Thanks," She said as she walked up the stairs.  Lanes door was open but she knocked anyways.  

"Rory!" She exclaimed, "Hi, come in."

Rory entered the room and sat on her bed.

"So, how are you?" Lane asked, "Glad Jess is gone?"

Rory sighed.

"What?" Lane gasped.  "Did he talk to you?  I haven't seen you since then…"

_Should I tell her?  Should I tell her?  I think that I'll flip my lid if I don't tell someone…and I can't tell my mom.  _She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.  She tried again.  "I…I…"

Lane waited patiently.

"He…he…he…told me that he loved…" She couldn't say it.  "…cheese."  _Oh god.  Why did I say that?  Cheese._

Lane raised her eyebrows.  "Really?"

"No," Rory said shaking her head.

"Well?" Lane persisted.

Rory looked down at her feet.  "He told me that he loved me," She whispered, barely loud enough to hear.  

Lane shrieked.  "Oh my god!  This is huge!"

Rory nodded slightly.

Lane noticed the look on her face and said quieter, "Or not…?"

Rory didn't say anything.

Lane tried to backtrack.  "No.  This is nothing.  Nothing at all."

Rory finally spoke, "It's something."  
  


Lane nodded.  "I thought so."

"But, he…left…again," Rory said weakly.

Lane sat down next to her and put her arm around her.  "So you still have feelings for him?"

Rory exhaled.  "I don't want to…but I just…do."

"I understand."

"Lane, what am I going to do?" Rory asked, sounding exhausted.

"I don't know…call him maybe?  Ask if you can be friends?" Lane suggested.

"I want to, but I don't know…"

They sat in silence for a few minutes.  Rory and Lane were both thinking.  Lane thinking of what Rory could do, and Rory thinking of what she could do.

"Lane Kim!" The shout interrupted the silence.

"Yes Mama?" She asked.

"It's time for Rory to go home!  Bible study starts in 10 minutes!"

"Okay Mama," She shouted back.  She looked at Rory.  "Are you going to be okay?  Do you want me to walk you home?"  

"No, it's okay," Rory said standing up.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know…" Rory said, "I'll sleep on it."

"Okay," Lane paused.  "But the point of sleeping is that you actually SLEEP." Lane told her.

Rory nodded.  "I'll try."

"Alright, well…I'll come by and see how you are tomorrow.  Maybe you'll think of something by then."

"Okay," She hugged her friend.  "Thanks."

They walked down the stairs together. 

"Lane, let's go now." Mama Kim persisted.

"Bye Lane," Rory said and walked out the door.

She walked home in a daze-like manner.  She said good-night to her mom and went to her room.

She climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling.  _What should I do?  I could call him…?  Maybe.  But…I don't know if I can handle that.  Being friends. _ She sighed.  _Well, we were friends before.  Maybe we could do it again._

Rory spent hours considering this.  She rolled over and looked at her alarm clock.  _2:45. My goodness.  I need to sleep.  I'm going to look like a zombie tomorrow.  _She laughed at herself.  _At least no one will see me…Jess in particular. _

She finally fell asleep and spent the whole night tossing and turning and dreaming.

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A/N:  Please review.  I don't know if this sucks or not.  But I need to know.  Please give me your opinion.  :D  Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

I'd Rather Be There

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: No. It's not mine. I don't own it. My name is not ASP and I'm glad it's not because if it were than I'm sure many Lit's would be throwing bricks at me. :P

Pairing: This will eventually be a Lit.

Rating: PG – 13

Summary: This is the sequel to 'I'd Rather Be Anywhere But Here.' Jess was in California. Rory was at Yale. Jess came to Stars Hollow and left Rory with a heavy burden to carry. If you don't know what I'm talking about then go and read the above mentioned fic!

A/N: Smile1 inspired me to revise this chapter, so read it and review!

Please forgive me! I'm so sorry. Don't hate me. I've been so busy these past few weeks, with homework and the year getting close to wrapping up. I've got finals in two weeks, so I probably won't get another chapter up until the beginning of June. hides under chair I know. I'm sorry, I'll try. I know this was a long wait….like a month? I love anyone who has reviewed! Keep it up please. It makes my writing a lot easier because when I get reviews it makes me think that I don't suck so much and it keeps me motivated. :P

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"So you're going to call?" Lane asked through the phone. She was supposed to be in her room 'reading her bible' but she had stolen the phone and she was talking to Rory.

"Yes. I'm going to call," Rory said confidently.

"Good."

"Yeah. Hopefully it will go good," Rory said.

"Uh-oh. Mama's coming. I've gotta go. Fill me in later!" Lane said hurriedly before hanging up.

Rory turned off the phone and stared at it. "I can do this. I can do this."

She dialed the number bravely and waited.

"Hello?" A man answered.

_Jimmy, I'm guessing. _"Uh…hi. Is Jess there?"

"No."

"Do you know when he'll be back?" Rory asked politely.

"I don't mean 'no' as in he's not in the house. I mean 'no' as in he's not in the state," he explained rudely.

"Oh," Rory said slowly.

"Bye," The man said gruffly.

She hung up the phone and tried to stop her hands from shaking. _Why isn't he in California? He's had plenty of time to drive home. Oh my god. What if he got in a car wreck?! He could be dead! Or in a hospital! _She shivered at the thought. _No one will ever know._

The ring of the doorbell made her jump. "Who is it?" She yelled, not wanting to get up.

"Luke!"

"Come in!" She said back. He opened the door and came into the living room.

He was carrying a 'Luke's Diner' bag. "I brought you some food."

She motioned for him to set it down on the coffee table. He looked at her a noticed that she was shaking. "Are you okay? Your face is really pale."

"I…uh…" She wasn't sure how to explain it and didn't want to ask him directly. "Luke. Have any accidents been reported? Because if there has been, then I think that I should know," She blurted out.

He frowned. "Are we talking about Jess?" He asked.

Rory nodded and watched Luke squirm. _Lorelai is going to kill me if she finds out. _"He hasn't been in any accidents," He reassured her.

"Well…he's not in California, so how can you be sure?"

_Dammit. She couldn't just drop it at that. _"Uh, well. I spoke to him."

"And…?"

Luke sighed. "He's in New York staying with Liz."

"He is?"

"Yes. Can you do me a favor and not tell your mom about this?" Luke asked.

Rory nodded. "Thanks for the food," She told him.

"No problem," Luke said as he walked towards the door.

"Bye!" She yelled as he shut the door.

Rory exhaled deeply. _Thank god he wasn't in a wreck. But why is he in New York? To see his mom…? I guess so. _

She looked at the food. "I'm not really hungry, but I need to eat," She muttered to herself as she opened a box and pulled out a chocolate chip scone.

She started to eat, but quickly stopped and set it down as a thought popped into her head. _I could look his number up in the phonebook. I'm sure we have a New York one somewhere._

She searched through the drawers until she found one. She opened it, and found only one listing for Danes in the part of New York that he lived in. She scribbled down the number, put the book away and resumed eating. _Maybe I'll call tonight._

_................................................................................................................................................_

Jess got in his car and drove. It was a spur of the moment thing. He knew what he had to do and he hoped that maybe it would give him closure to get it off of his chest.

He practiced what he was going to say over and over in his head. He wasn't sure if she would be there, maybe she had gone back to Yale, but he had to try anyways.

The silence was becoming eerie, so he flipped on the radio and searched for anything that wasn't soft, mushy crap. He found some kind of hard rock and left it there, thinking that it was better than nothing.

He approached Stars Hollow and decided that it would be best to park a block outside of town so that not many people would see him.

He got out of his car, locked the doors, and walked into town. He headed towards the bridge. He thought that there was a small chance that she would be there, and if not, he would turn around, drive away, and never look back.

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Rory sat on the bridge reading one of his books. She actually wasn't reading at all, instead, she was thinking. She couldn't even remember what the title of the book was, or the last word that she had looked at. The words formed one big blur as she followed them back and forth, down one page and onto the next. _Brian…Jess…Brian…Jess. Poor Brian. I've been leading him on. I need to end it. It's just not fair to him._

She heard footsteps approaching, but she didn't bother to look up. She figured that it was just some tourist.

They stopped next to her. "I've been looking for that book."

Her eyes widened and she lost the grip on her book. It fell into the water with a plop.

"Guess I won't be reading it now."

She watched it float along with the current and wished that she could swim away with it. She was so confused. _What is he doing here?_

He sat down about two feet away from her and she yearned to scoot closer, to touch him, to kiss him, but she found herself scooting away.

"I'm not going to bite you," He told her. He knew that he shouldn't be joking around. Not after the whole 'I love you' thing, but he found it hard to be serious.

Rory remained silent. _Why is he back? What could he possibly have to say? _She had to ask it. "Why are you here?"

Jess sighed and ran his hand through his hair. _I've got to do it. _"I'm sorry," He started.

She tried not to look at him, but she couldn't help herself. She glanced at him quickly and was relieved that he was looking down at the water. _He's sorry……for what? Telling me that he loved me? How can he be sorry for that?! Was it not true?! _Rory started to panic. _Oh my gosh._

He continued. "I'm sorry that I left last June without explaining why. I'm sorry that I was a jerk. I'm sorry for everything." He paused.

_Oh. He's sorry for that. _

"I left because…I…" He sighed. "I flunked out of school."

_He left because he flunked out of school? That's crazy. I would not have broken up with him because of that. _She finally spoke. "And the night of the party?"

"Yeah," He answered nodding. He knew what she meant.

A few seconds went by before she spoke again, "You should have said good-bye."

"I…didn't know how."

"Oh," She said quietly.

He stood up slowly. "That's all I wanted to say, I just wanted you to know."

She watched in horror as he started to walk away. _He has to say goodbye! He can't do it again. _"Wait!" She yelled after him.

He stopped and turned around. _Maybe…_ "What?"

"You didn't say good-bye," She told him with a shaky voice.

…_I didn't think so. _He smirked sadly. Saying good-bye was to hard to do, that's why he never did it. "Good-bye Rory."

She smiled as tears filled her eyes. "Good-bye Jess."

He turned around and continued walking down the bridge.

They both were hoping. He was hoping that she would stop him, and she was hoping that he would stop. But neither of them did anything.

It was hard to sit there and watch him walk away, extremely hard. She wanted to go after him, to beg him to stay, but she was afraid of getting hurt again and she didn't want to stop him from going back to his new life.

He got to his car and unlocked it. "That damn closure thing never works," He muttered.

He had planned to go back to California after talking to Rory, but now that it came down to it, he wasn't ready. It all seemed so final….like he would never see her again. And he wasn't ready for that, so he headed back towards New York.

As he drove, he looked at the scenery, something he had never really done before, and he found himself comparing it to California. Venice Beach was just full of beach bums, and girls in bikinis, and sunshine…completely the opposite of New York. He came to the realization that California wasn't him. He had moved there on a fluke thing and now he wanted out. He didn't belong there. _But…I can't get out…I couldn't move back here…could I?_

He considered this as he drove. _ I have most of my stuff with me. Jimmy could ship the rest. There's only 3 weeks of school left after Spring Break, so I would still get my diploma. _He smirked slightly. _I just need a place to stay…maybe I could rent an apartment._

_................................................................................................................................................_

Rory was still sitting on the bridge. _So…I guess I didn't do anything wrong. He didn't leave because of me. But the graduating thing wasn't too important. Sure, I would have been a little disappointed, but I could have helped him. I'm more upset that he lied about attending school. His grades didn't matter…at least not as much as he did._

She got up slowly and started to walk back to her house. She couldn't sit there any longer. She had to do something. Anything. She had to get her mind off of him and what just happened. She didn't really have anything to do, but she would find something. _I could read.....Howl. I haven't read that book in a long time. _She stopped dead in her tracks. _The book! Oh my god. I totally forgot! It' s still in the water! _She felt a overwhelming urge to get it. _I have to get it! _She turned around swiftly and quickly walked back to the bridge.

She looked into the water and saw that the book was bobbing along a few feet away from her. Without thinking, she jumped in after it, shoes and all. "Ah!" She yelled as she hit the water. It came up a few inches above her waist and she was thankful that her hair had remained dry. _god it's cold._

She shivered as she reached out and grabbed the book. _I got you!_ She held it in the air, along with her other arm as she waddled over to the edge of the bridge. She sat the book down before getting a hold of the bridge and pulling herself up.

As Rory stood up, she rang out her shirt. Water poured from it and she shivered again. She bent over and picked up the book. Her shoes squeaked as she walked towards her house. She opened the back door quickly, eager to take a nice, warm shower.

"Hey Rory! Do you wanna order lunch?" Lorelai yelled as she walked into the kitchen. She stopped and frowned when she saw her. "Or, you know, go for a swim?" Lorelai joked.

_I completely forgot! She said she'd be home at 12:00 today. _Rory looked down and saw that she was standing in a puddle. "I can explain…" She started and stopped when she saw her mother looking above her head. "What are you looking at?"

Lorelai grinned. "I was just checking to see if you had a dark rain cloud following you, like from Winnie the Pooh."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Funny."

Lorelai nodded. "Anyways, continue."

"Okay…well, I was sitting on the bridge reading, when I heard footsteps and it really freaked me out, so the book kinda just…flew from my hands. And I didn't want the poor book to be stuck in there forever so I hopped in after it and rescued it." She held the book up.

Lorelai raised an eyebrow at her. "Who was it?" She asked.

Rory hadn't been prepared to answer that and Lorelai saw her hesitate.

"Uh, it was just some tourist. He asked me for directions to Hartford," Rory said quickly after recovering.

It really bugged Lorelai that her daughter was lying to her and she decided to try and pry it out of her. "Go take a shower and I'll order lunch."

Rory nodded and went into her room to set the book down and grab clean clothes before heading to the shower.

Lorelai watched her close the door before going into the living room to find the phone. She found it sitting on the table. She bent over to pick it up and noticed a phone number sitting next to it.

"Hmm," Lorelai said quietly. She didn't recognize the number so she decided to play detective. She waited until she heard the shower before dialing the number.

"Hello?" A woman answered.

"Hell-ooo?" Lorelai said with a southern accent, dragging out the 'o.' "Who am I speaking tooo?"

"This is Liz."

_Liz…? That name's familiar. Where have I…oh my gosh. Luke has a sister named Liz. _She decided to take a chance on it. "You gotta son name Jess?"

"Yeah."

"Ooooh." Lorelai's eyes widened. "Well, I'm calling from…" She thought quickly. "Cabot's music store to inform him that he won the contest."

"What contest?" Liz asked.

"Our music contest. He entered a raffle and won himself a brand neeew cd-player." Lorelai explained.

"Oh. Well, he just left awhile ago. Can he call you back?"

"Sure," Lorelai said nodding. "Our number is…1-800-22-MUSIC," Lorelai said smirking at her creativity.

"All right, I'll tell him."

"Okey-dokey. Buh-bye." Lorelai hung up the phone. _Why on Earth would she have his number? I can't wait any longer. I'm gonna have to ask her about it. _Lorelai heard the shower turn off and quickly put the number back and dialed for Chinese.

...............................................................................................................................................

A/N: I'm sorry that this took forever to get posted and I'm sorry if it REALLY sucks. Does it suck? Should I stop writing? Please review and tell me. I'll try to get the next chapter up by the beginning of June. Review please. Gracias! :D


	5. Chapter 5

I'd Rather Be There

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own this. Really. Don't believe me? Smart choice. Don't sue me. Please…the only thing you would get was my laptop…some books…my school stuff and heck I'll give you that for free. Lol.

Pairing: This will eventually be a Lit.

Rating: PG – 13

Summary: This is the sequel to 'I'd Rather Be Anywhere But Here.' Jess was in California. Rory was at Yale. Jess came to Stars Hollow and left Rory with a heavy burden to carry. If you don't know what I'm talking about then go and read the above mentioned fic!

A/N: This is my last week of school! WooHoo! And then I'll have lots of time to write! Yay. As always, reviews are much appreciated. Really, seriously, it only takes one second to review….puh-lease do it! Oh and come and check out this site! It's lots of Gilmore Girls Center[/link]

And I would like to thank DarkAngl, Erni, and Ash! You guys rock!

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Rory got out of the shower feeling relaxed and clean. She had decided that she would call him tonight and she was anxious yet nervous at the same time. She was afraid that he would say that they couldn't even be friends and that thought scared her, so she forced herself to think happy thoughts.

_We can be friends again. Everything can be like it was before. We can start over. _Rory twisted her lips in thought. _I can resist the urge to kiss him whenever I see him. _She rolled her eyes at herself. "Yeah, and then I can win an award for best actress," She mumbled.

She heard the doorbell ring, announcing the arrival of lunch and quickly slipped on her clothes. She came into the living room just as her mom was setting the food up.

Rory sat down and grabbed a carton and fork. "Mmm…" She said as she took a bite.

Lorelai grabbed a carton and as she reached for a fork, her hand brushed the phone number and it fell off the table. "Whoops," Lorelai said as she reached down and picked it up. She studied it as though she had never seen it before. "Hmm…Is this yours?" Lorelai asked.

Rory's eyes widened when she saw what it was. _Oh my gosh. I left it on the table! _She nodded as she grabbed the number and shoved it into her pocket.

"Whose number is that?" Lorelai asked, looking at her daughter hardly.

"Oh, uh, just a friend," Rory answered and took another bite of her food.

"Huh," Lorelai said frowning. "I didn't realize that you and Jess were friends."

Rory gasped and nearly choked on a noodle. "Mom!" She exclaimed angrily, "You were snooping in my stuff and you called that number! How could you?!"

"How else could I find anything out?" Lorelai yelled. "You've been lying to me Rory!"

"You could have just asked me whose number it was! You didn't have to call it!"

"Okay. Fine. I'm asking you now. What's up with you and Jess?" Lorelai asked and tried to lower her voice to a normal tone.

"Nothing!" Rory shouted. "Nothing at all. We're just talking. We haven't even had a real conversation yet. I just want to call him and talk like we used to!"

Lorelai set her carton down in disgust and stayed silent, waiting for Rory to continue.

"I'm sorry for lying to you," Rory said quietly.

"Why couldn't you just tell me?"

"Because I know you don't like him!" Rory yelled as her face grew red.

"And I have good reason not to. He's a jerk Rory! You shouldn't like him either! I don't understand how you can just keep letting him back in after he's left you so many times!"

"You don't even know him!" Rory exclaimed.

"I know that he's a stupid boy who wanted nothing more than to sleep with you!" Lorelai yelled and immediately regretted saying.

Rory's eyes widened and she leaped from the couch and slammed her food down. "He's not like that!" She yelled. "He never pressured me to do ANYTHING!" She grabbed her shoes and stormed out the door.

She waited until she was sure that her mom wouldn't follow her before stopping to slip her shoes on. _How can she say that?! It's not fair! She doesn't know him…he isn't like that. _She didn't know where she was going, but she knew that she couldn't sit there and listen to her mother say those things.

She stomped towards town and decided to go sit in the gazebo. She calmed down slightly as she walked. She reached the gazebo and started to walk up the steps when someone called her name.

"Rory!"

Rory froze. _You've gotta be kidding me. _She groaned and turned around, finding the other person approaching her quickly.

"Dean," She said monotonously. She did not want to see him right now.

"How are you?" He asked smiling.

"Fine," She replied coldly.

"Do you have any free time? We could go get some coffee…"

"Dean," She said sighing. "This is not a good day to have 'coffee and talk.' I'm not in the mood."

Dean frowned and took a step forward. "Well, do you wanna…." He caught himself before saying 'talk.'

Rory took a step back and shook her head. "No. There's nothing you could do about it anyways. I'm sorry but I'm in a hurry," She said and quickly walked away towards Luke's leaving Dean with a disappointed look on his face.

Rory opened the door and walked in. "Hey," She greeted him as she sat down at the counter.

"Hi Rory," Luke said looking up from his pad. "Two coffees to-go?" He guessed.

Rory furrowed her eyebrows. _I can't stay mad at her forever…and it's spring break. I'm supposed to be having fun with her. But what she said…it wasn't fair. She doesn't even know him…_

"Rory?" Luke asked, breaking her train of thought.

"Uh…no," Rory decided shaking her head.

"No?" Luke asked, a look of confusion spreading across his face. "I'm not going to give you more than 2 cups…your mother already tried that one."

"I just need one cup."

Luke frowned. "You two are fighting?" He asked as he poured the coffee into a cup.

She nodded.

He put the lid onto the cup and handed it to her. "It's on the house," He told her.

"Oh, no. Luke. You don't have to-"

"No, it's fine," He assured her.

"Thanks, She said as she stood up and walked out the door. _Where should I go? I'm not going home yet…I'm not ready to talk to her…I'm not going to the bridge again…I'm DEFINITELY not going to the gazebo._

Rory sighed. _Well, I guess that only leaves me the option of going home. I could walk the long way though…that'll take at least 20 minutes._

She turned around and walked towards Doose's, taking a large gulp of coffee as she took a step forward.

==============================Start Flashback=======================

_Jess walks up behind Rory, she's standing in front of the flower stand. "Hey there," He says._

_"Hey," She replies. He kisses her but she pulls away. "Wait, stop," She tells him._

_"What?" He asks confused._

_"Stop," She repeats._

_"What are you doing?" He asks her._

_"Come on," She says as she pulls him down the street a little ways._

_She kisses him._

_"What was that?" He asks frowning._

_"That was a kiss," She answers._

_"What's with the relocation before the kiss?"_

_"It's too early," She says simply._

_"Too early?"__ He repeats, raising an eyebrow. "Too early for what?"_

_"For kissing like that."___

_"What's the rule, no kissing before noon?" He says sarcastically._

_"No," She says shaking her head. "It's too early to do this here."_

_"Where, in the street?"__ He asks, still confused._

_"In the street, with people watching…"_

_He looks around. "What people?"_

_"In front of Doose's"_

_"Ah, Doose's," He says finally understanding._

_"We shouldn't flaunt it."_

_"But I want to flaunt it," He says._

_"It doesn't feel right."  
  
_

_"He's a big boy Rory," He says slightly irritated._

_"I know," She says._

_"It's not the first time a couple's broken up," He points out._

_"It is for us."_

_"This is insane," He tells her._

_"Please, let's not flaunt it, please?"_

_He sighs. "For how long?"_

_"Until it's comfortable."___

_"Before we're on social security?" He asks smirking._

_She grins. "I promise, we can kiss secretly."_

_"Yeah, or we can wear Three Stooges masks all the time, that way no one will know who we are."_

_"I can be Curly."_

_"I'll be Moe," Jess says._

_"Probably to silly."___

_He nods. "Yeah, probably."_

_"This will get better over time, I promise. But until then, let's just play it cool."_

_"Hey, I'm Frank at the Sands."_

_She smirks. "That's cool."_

==========================End Flashback============================

Rory furrowed her eyebrows together and threw her empty cup into a trash can. _How could I have been so stupid? I should have flaunted it! I should have flaunted it while I had it. If only I would have known. If I would have known that he was leaving that day on the bus, if I would have known that he was ditching school, if I would have know that we wouldn't be together very long…I would have flaunted it to no end. _

She continued walking and thought about that. She approached Babette's house and sighed, knowing that her house would be next. Rory walked up the porch, and took a deep breath before opening the door. She walked into the living room and found her mom sitting right where she had left her.

Rory sat down next to her hoping that she would talk.

"I'm sorry for saying those things," Lorelai said quietly. "You were right. I don't know him. I shouldn't judge him. I'm just upset that you didn't tell me."

"I'm sorry mom…I just didn't want to make you mad."

Lorelai nodded.

"I want to be friends with him again," She said softly.

Lorelai looked at her. "Will you tell me what happens and not hide it from me?" She asked.

Rory nodded. "I will tell you everything."

"Okay," Lorelai said smiling. "You're food's getting cold."

Rory smiled and picked up her carton. "I'm surprised that you didn't eat it," She teased.

"I might have spit in it," Lorelai said.

Rory made a face. "Well, I might have spit in your hair."

Lorelai raised her eyebrows and struggled to see her hair. It wasn't long enough and she craned her neck back to try and look.

Rory took a bite of her food and watched her mom with an amused look on her face.

================================================================

"And how much does it cost?" Jess asked as he followed the way-too-perky landlord around an apartment.

"$500 a month," She responded smiling brightly.

Jess groaned. _Shit. I'd have to work more….wait. I'd have to find a job first. Maybe Wal-mart would want me back. _

"Is there a problem sir?" She asked him.

"Uh, well that's quite a bit of money. Does it come with this stuff," He said motioning around him.

She nodded and smiled. "Yes, it includes the bed, the table, the chairs, the refrigerator…."

"Huh. And what about a down payment?" Jess asked trying to figure out how much money he currently had.

"That would be $400. And if you filled out the papers today and gave me the down payment, then you would be guaranteed the apartment."

Jess sighed. "So 400 bucks and then I wouldn't have to pay the 500 for another month?"

"Well…I suppose we could work it out that way," She said nodding.

"You got the papers?"

She handed them to him. "And I can get out whenever I want?"

"Yes."

"Well…I guess I'll sign then," Jess said and started to fill the papers out.

After a few minutes, he handed them to her.

"Thank you…" She scanned the page, "Mr. Mariano."

"Uh-huh."

"So, I'll be needing that money within the next week," She told him.

"You'll get it," He said as he walked towards the door.

"Have a nice day!" She yelled after him.

"Go steal someone else's money," He muttered under his breath. _Well…Now I need to go to Walmart and see if they'll hire me at the one down the street. Never thought I'd have to work there again. _He smirked. _Well at least I kept the vest._

_====================================================_

A/N: What do you think? I wrote basically all of this today. How am I doing? Please review and make me happy! :D


	6. Chapter 6

I'd Rather Be There

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own it! But I do, of course, own Jess. wink, wink

Pairing: This will be a lit eventually

Rating: PG – 13

Summary: This is the sequel to I'd Rather Be Anywhere But Here. Jess was in California. Rory was at Yale. Jess came back to Stars Hollow leaving Rory with a heavy burden to carry. If you don't know what I'm talking about then go and read the above mentioned fic.

A/N: I'm outta school now! Yay. :D And well, I've actually been out for a week…but haven't had time to write. But now I do, so I'm writing. lol. And I would like to thank everyone and anyone who has reviewed this fic. I was going to look up all the names, but I'm far too lazy. lol.

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"Luke!" Kirk yelled from his table at the other end of the Diner.

Luke walked over to Kirk slowly, knowing that something would end up being 'wrong' with something.

"I believe I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich," Kirk said, looking up at Luke.

Luke sighed. "Yes Kirk, that's what it is."

"No," Kirk said shaking his head.

"Kirk," Luke said rolling his eyes. "You've got the bread, and you've got the cheese. Therefore it's a grilled cheese sandwich."

Kirk pulled the two pieces of bread apart. "Look at that," He said pointing to a tiny speck on the bread.

Luke leaned in to look. "What about it?" He asked.

"It's not supposed to be there! It's contaminating my bread!" Kirk exclaimed.

"It's a piece of grain…that's what wheat bread is made of."

"Is it?" Kirk asked.

"Yes," Luke said nodding.

"Well I don't like it," Kirk said setting the bread back down onto his plate.

"Do you want me to make you another one?' Luke asked getting annoyed.

"White bread?" Kirk questioned.

"Fine," Luke answered and grabbed the plate. He dumped it in the trash and called the order out for Ceaser.

He was wiping off a table when the phone started to ring.

"Luke's Diner," He answered.

"Hey Uncle Luke."

"Jess? Hi…are you getting ready to head back to California?" Luke asked, amazed that his nephew had called after all.

"Uh, no…." Jess answered. "Actually, I've decided to stay."

"Jess…" Luke sighed. "You're 19 years old, you should not be living with your mother! And what about school-"

Jess cut him off. "Will you just let me talk for one second?"

Luke didn't answer.

"I'm not going to be living with my mom…" Jess told him. "I got my own apartment and I've got enough credits to graduate without needing to go back to California."

"You're renting an apartment and you're graduating from high school?" Luke questioned.

"I think that's what I said," Jess answered.

"Do you need any money?" Luke asked.

"No, I've already paid the down payment and I got a job at the Wal-mart here."

"Huh…well good," Luke said proudly. "Good for you."

"Uh huh…so I was just calling to tell you…"

"Thanks," Luke said. "Do you have an address and phone number?"

"Uh…I'm not sure about what either is," Jess answered.

"Okay, well let me know when you get it."

"Whatever…well, I've gotta go," Jess told him.

"Alright, bye Jess," Luke said.

"Bye."

Luke hung up the phone smiling. _He's graduating from high school and got his own apartment. He's really changed a lot this year._

Luke!" A voice yelled, interrupting his thoughts.

"What is it now Kirk?" Luke yelled, annoyed.

"I don't think this is right….."

=================================================================================

A few minutes later Brian pulled up in front of the diner and parked his car.

He pushed on the Diner door and laughed when he realized that you were supposed to 'pull.'

He finally got the door open and made his way over to Luke.

Luke saw him and recognized him as the kid who was with Rory the other night. "Hi…what can I do for you?"

"Uh, well…." Brian blushed. "I can't remember how to get to Rory's house…I was hoping to surprise her…"

"Oh, you need directions. Okay you go straight down that road," Luke said pointing, "And then you turn right, and then left."

Brian nodded. "I though you went left and then right…well thank you," Brian told him and turned towards the door.

Luke watched him as he began walking. "Wait," He told him.

Brian turned around.

Luke reached for a cup, filled it with coffee, placed a lid on it and motioned for Brian to come over to the counter.

"You should take it to Rory," Luke said offering him the cup.

Brian took it. "Thanks a lot," He said before walking out the door, without evening offering to pay for it.

Brian looked at his car and decided to walk to her house.

He quickly made his way down the street, turning right and then left, just like Luke had said.

Her house came into view and he approached it. He walked briskly up the steps and rang the doorbell.

He waited for a few minutes before ringing it again and knocking.

No one answered.

He looked around and saw her car in the driveway. _She's gotta be here._

He knocked and rang the doorbell. Still there was no answer.

He tried the doorknob and it twisted open. He stepped cautiously into the house. "Rory!" He yelled. "Rory are you home?!"

There was no response.

He walked into the living room and then towards the kitchen. He stopped when he saw a light coming from under her door.

He knocked on it. "Rory!" He yelled.

Rory sat on her bed with her headphones on. She was listening the White Stripes.

"I'm going to Witchita," She mouthed, and bobbed her head along to the beat.

Brian knocked again. "Rory, are you in there?"

Rory stopped dancing and lowered her music. _Am I going crazy? I swear I just heard my name…_

"Hello?" She yelled.

"Rory?"

Rory shut off her CD player and jumped off her bed. She wasn't sure who it was….she couldn't quite hear his voice. _Could it be…?_

Rory opened her door quickly. She was surprised to see who it was.

"Hey Rory," Brian said, kissing her quickly on the lips. "I brought you some coffee." He held the cup up.

"You drove to Stars Hollow to bring me…" She looked at the cup. "Coffee from Luke's?"

Brian shrugged. "I was just in the area, so I thought I'd stop by and see how you're doing…I haven't heard form you for a few days."

Rory smiled. _He's so sweet. But it really isn't fair to him…I still have feelings for Jess…I can't just pretend to like Brian._

"So how have you been?" He asked.

"Pretty good," She answered and set the coffee on her desk.

"Oh…." He started to say something, but stopped.

"What?" She asked as she moved her CD player and sat down onto her bed.

"Well, I was just wondering why you haven't returned my calls," He said.

Rory frowned. "You called?"

Brian nodded. "At least 3 or 4 times on your cell."

Rory's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, I've had it turned off since Monday…no wonder I didn't get them. I'm sorry," She said as she pulled her phone out of her purse and turned it on.

She held it up so he could see it. "I've got 5 new voice messages," She told him.

"Oh, well that explains it….I thought that maybe you were breaking up with me or something," He joked.

_I have to do it….I have to._ Rory didn't say anything, instead she patted the spot next to her on the bed.

"What is it?" He asked as he sat down.

"Brian…" She started but stopped and furrowed her eyebrows. _I don't know how to do this…I've never broken up with anyone before. This is horrible. _"Brian…" She tried again, "I, I…You've been really great," She stuttered.

His face fell. "But-?" He asked.

She took his hand. "And I really don't know how to do this," She continued.

"Then don't," He suggested.

She looked up at him. "I have too…"

"Oh."

"I have to break up with you…" Rory told him.

"Will you at least tell me why?"

Rory sighed. "I…uh…"

"It can't be that hard," He said slightly bitterly. "Is there someone else?"

"Well…in a sense yes, but did I cheat on you? No, I did not," Rory clarified.

"Will you tell me the whole story…please?" He requested.

"I…I guess so," She said slowly.

"Okay."

Rory sighed again. "Well…about a year ago, my boyfriend left town without a word to me and moved to California and then he showed up here about a week or so ago and I thought I was over him…but apparently I'm not, and I feel so horrible about doing this to you and I don't even know what's going to happen…but I can't lead you on anymore," Rory babbled.

"The Hemingway guy?" Brain asked.

Rory nodded.

"I understand."

"I would like to stay friends with you," Rory said.

"Yeah…maybe I'll see you around school."

"Okay," Rory said nodding.

He stood up and she let go of his hand. "Well, I better go."

Rory reached up and hugged him. "I'm really sorry."

"I'll show myself out," He told her.

"All right…bye."

"Bye," He said and closed her door.

He walked slowly towards the front door and just as he opened it Lorelai came walking up the porch.

"Hey!" She said.

"Hello," He said as he walked out onto the porch.

"Where are ya off to?" She asked.

"Home," He answered.

"Did she kick you out?" Lorelai joked. "You can stay for dinner," She offered.

"No thanks."

"What's wrong?" Lorelai asked. "I'm not going to pull a Frankenstein on you."

Brian smirked. "Oh, no, it's not you…it's just uh…she broke up with me."

"She did?" Lorelai exclaimed.

He nodded.

"Well, this is awkward."

"Yeah, well I'll just be going now," He told her.

"Well…have a nice life," She said smiling.

He laughed. "I'll do that," He said and turned and walked down the road.

Lorelai opened the door. "Rory!" She yelled and walked to her room. She opened the door to her bedroom and walked in. "You broke up with Brian?" She asked.

Rory looked at her, surprised. "Yes."

"Why?"

"It wasn't working," Rory answered.

"Do you still have feelings for Jess?"

Rory didn't answer.

"Rory?" Lorelai persisted.

"Yes, okay! Yes, I still have feelings for Jess!" Rory exclaimed.

Lorelai looked at her and struggled to keep from exploding.

Rory exhaled as she waited for her mom to say something, anything…the silence was making her nervous.

"Why…did you get with Brian then?" Lorelai finally asked.

Rory sighed. "I didn't know…" She couldn't find the words to explain it. "I just didn't know."

Lorelai understood this and nodded.

Rory waited again, wondering what negative thing her mother would say about Jess…or about her.

"Well, then I guess it's good that you broke up with him when you did," Lorelai said.

Rory's jaw dropped. "It is?" She asked.

Lorelai nodded and Rory raised an eyebrow at her.

Lorelai sat down next to her daughter in the spot that Brian had previously occupied. "Babe, as much as I hate to say it…and I really hate to say it…you've got to follow your heart. We don't pick who we love or who we don't love…"

Rory instinctively put her hand to her chest when Lorelai said 'love.' "So…if I have feelings for Jess, then what do I do?"

Lorelai though about this before answering, "I don't know…I can't tell you what to do, you've got to decide for yourself."

Rory sighed.

Lorelai glanced at her watch and hopped off the bed. "I've gotta run!" She told her. "I have an appointment at the inn in like…5 minutes. I just came by to grab some papers." Lorelai hugged her quickly. "I'll see ya later hun," She said and then hurried out the door.

Rory lay back onto her bed and shut her eyes. _Well that went fairly well…but now what am I going to do? _

_===============================================================_

Jess threw the last box onto the floor with a heave. He did only have 3 boxes though, so it wasn't much work…and two of them were full of books.

He had just gotten off of the phone with his dad and requested that he send his stuff over. Jimmy had agreed to do so, and Jess could tell that he was glad to have that responsibility lifted from his shoulders. Lily, on the other hand had whined and begged for him to come back, and he promised her that he'd call and come back and visit some time.

Jess stepped back and viewed the apartment, a look of satisfaction spread across his face.

The apartment was of a good size and came with a few items. It consisted of a bedroom, bathroom, living room and kitchen. It wasn't much…but it was all that he needed.

Although he wouldn't ever admit it to anyone, he was proud of his little apartment. It was his first place…he paid for it with his own money.

_I own that bed…and that table…and those chairs…that telephone…and that fridge. _He walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door. He looked around and made a face. _I even own that nasty, brown, moldy stuff._

Seeing the leftover food reminded him that he hadn't gone to the grocery store yet. He shoved his wallet into his back pocket, grabbed his keys and locked the door, before heading towards the stairs.

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A/N: I hope you'll review this. Tell me what you think…is it in character? Can you picture it actually happening? Thanks in advance. :D


	7. Chapter 7

I'd Rather Be There

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Wilson!  I own Wilson…he's my new bunny.  You can't have him!  I'm making a rule…no suing allowed. :D

Pairing: This will be a lit eventually

Rating: PG – 13

Summary: This is the sequel to I'd Rather Be Anywhere But  Here.  Jess was in California. Rory was at Yale.  Jess came back to Stars Hollow leaving Rory with a heavy burden to carry.  If you don't know what I'm talking about then go and read the above mentioned fic.

A/N: Okay I looked up the names of all the people who have reviewed and I would like to thank....Amanda, goldengirl736, smile1, bluedancer, nature-girlie, ILOVEMILO, kmb, Spuffyluvr, xXMiSFiT 247Xx, Bookwormz, Piper Sora Rizuka, Spunky Panda, purple is my favorite color, and DarkAngl2025.  If you are one of those people, then you rock!  And if you aren't one of those people then you rock too…and you should consider reviewing so that you can see your name up here. lol. I got to work on this chapter really fast, which was unusual because I normally wait a few weeks. 

And I would also like to thank **DarkAngl2025** for giving me some ideas for this chapter! You're the best! :D  Oh, and you should check out The coffee is always better at Luke's.  It is a joint fic mostly by me and DarkAngl.  Check it out! It's listed under DarkAngl2025. J

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Jess entered the grocery store about twenty minutes after leaving his apartment.  The store was a few blocks away and he had walked slowly, leisurely, taking in his surroundings and noting how glad he was to be back in New York.

It was his home, and now he realized how stupid he had been thinking that he could go from 'East coast tough guy' to 'West coast surfer dude'…not that he had though that in the first place, he knew that it would be weird and different, but at the time being, he had no other options, or at least none that had seemed reasonable.

But it was good that he went to California.  He got to know his dad…and his questions about him had been answered…maybe even some of the anger he had towards him disappeared as he got to know him better, but it would never be completely gone.  You can't just forgive someone for abandoning you.

Jess walked over to the stack of baskets and grabbed one.  He adjusted it in his hand and tried to look manly, but he found that there was no way to look manly when you're holding a little, red basket.

He had made a mental list of some things that he needed to buy, but now that he was actually in the store, he was having trouble remembering them.  _Dammit__, I should have made a list._

He looked around and noticed the produce isle.  _Milk, cheese, eggs…. _He approached the isle and nearly ran into a woman head on.

"Sorry about that," He said.

She looked up, green eyes sparkling.  "No it was my fault," She said laughing.  "I wasn't paying attention," She told him and flipped her blonde hair with her neatly manicured hand.

He knew this gesture well.  She was flirting with him.  He couldn't stand it when girls did that and it took all of his energy not to roll his eyes at her.  "Huh," He said and side-stepped her, heading for the milk.

She looked after him and decided to follow.  "You know, I'm new here and I was wondering if you might know where the nearest restaurant is," She said to him.

He turned around slowly.  "There's an Applebee's around the corner and to the left," He answered.

"Oh thanks," She looked down at her watch.  "Boy am I hungry, I haven't had lunch yet."

Jess ignored this and turned back around.

"You wouldn't want to catch a bite would you?" She asked.

He held up his basket.  "I can't, I've got shopping to do," He answered bluntly before grabbing a gallon of milk and setting it into his basket.

"Well, if you change your mind before you leave, I'll be here!" She said before turning and walking away.

Jess now rolled his eyes.  _Shit.  Is there a flashing neon sign on my forehead saying 'SINGLE'?_

He made his way over to the eggs and checked a few cartons before finding one that had no broken eggs.  He gently added it to his basket.

He then went down every isle and ended up with bread, lunch meat, condiments, and a few snacks.

He was just about to the check-out line when someone tapped him on the shoulder.  He turned around and found himself facing the girl from earlier.

"Hey there, I was just wondering what your name was…" She said smiling.

"Wally," He answered quickly, hoping that the dorky name would make her lose interest.

"Ooh, like from Leave it to Beaver," She said grinning and waited for Jess to respond.  "Aren't you going to ask me my name?" She finally asked.

"I wasn't planning on it."

She ignored this and brushed a hand through her hair, trying a little too hard to appear sexy.  "It's Megan," She informed him.

Jess nodded and pretended like he actually cared before saying, "Look 'Megan'," He said in mock of her name.  "I'm not interested, okay?"

"You got a girlfriend?"

Jess paused.

"I didn't think so." She pulled a pen out of her purse and before he could stop her, she scribbled her name and number onto his hand.  "Call me if you change your mind, Wally," She said before turning and heading towards the other end of the store.

Jess frowned at his hand.  _god__.  Some people just don't take a hint…and she had to do it in pink ink…how nice and fruity. _

"Excuse me?  Can I help you?" A voice asked from behind him.

He looked around and realized that he was next in line and sat the basket down onto the conveyer belt.

The cashier noticed his hand as he did so.  "Megan gotcha?" She asked laughing.

He looked up at her.  She was petite and had light brown hair and dark eyes.  He nodded.

"Was she looking for a restaurant or did she 'lose her dog'?" The girl, whose name tag read Sammy, asked.

He raised an eyebrow at her.  "You mean she does this often?"

Sammy nodded, smirking.  "She's a friend of mine.  She comes in here about twice a week trying to get a date," She explained.

"She certainly doesn't take a hint," He said.

"No she doesn't…she's a little desperate," She said and started to scan his items.  "What book are you reading?"

He frowned.  "What?"

She laughed nervously.  "The book…in your back pocket.  I saw it when you were turned around…not that I was checking out your butt or anything…no I just noticed it," She babbled.

Jess smirked slightly.  "Hemmingway…For Whom the Bell Tolls," He answered and pulled the book out of his pocket to show her.

"Ooh, good book," She said nodding.  "You're total comes to $32.86."

"You like to read?" He asked as he pulled out his wallet and laid to twenties down.

"Oh yeah.  My apartment is basically one big bookcase," She answered as she opened the cash register and began to fish out his change.

"I need to buy a bookcase," He said to himself and then realized that he had said it out loud when a look of curiosity spread across her face.

"I just moved to an apartment and my books are in boxes," He explained.

She nodded.  "Which one?"

Jess thought about this for a second and realized that he didn't actually know the name.  "Uh…those gray ones a few blocks down…"

"The Cedar Commons?" She asked.

Jess paused before replying, "Yeah I think that's it."

"Wow!" She exclaimed.

"What?" He asked as he started to help her bag his stuff.

"I live there too."

"Small world," He mused as she pulled the receipt out.

"Yeah," she said as he put the last item into the bag.  "Oh, by the way, I'm Sammy."

"Jess," He told her as he grabbed his bags and she tossed the receipt inside.

"Have a nice day," She said as he walked towards the door, briefly stopping to nod at her.

He left the store and walked down the street quickly, hoping that Megan wouldn't follow him.

He finally reached the entrance to his apartment and pulled out his key to unlock the front door.  The only downside to the apartment was the fact that it didn't have an elevator, so anytime he wanted to go anywhere, he'd have to descend three flights of stairs…on the bright side, it would be good exercise.

He arrived at his door, 3B, and entered it breathing heavily.  _I must be seriously out of shape…it's just 3 stories, it's not like the Empire State Building or something…_

He unloaded the contents of the first bag, laying the bread on the counter along with the snacks.

He opened the other bag and placed the milk, cheese, eggs, and lunchmeat into the refrigerator.

He threw the empty bag away and pulled the receipt out of the second before proceeding to throw that one away.  A blue circle on the receipt caught his attention.  _What is that? _He picked it up and looked.  Written on it was:

                                                            Sammy

                                                          479-8301

                                                               3F

Jess opened his front door and looked out into the hall.  3F was located directly across from him.  He closed the door and sat down in one of his chairs, smirking ever so slightly.

_Maybe I should go for it…?  I haven't dated in over 8 months.  I've gotta move on sometime…she has no feelings for me…it is pointless to 'pine' over her, as she put it._

He sighed and sat the number down onto the table.  _Maybe tomorrow…___

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-A few hours later-

Rory opened the door to Luke's and walked over to the counter.

"Hey Rory, how's it going?" Luke asked as he folded a cloth over his shoulder.

"Okay…I was just looking for-"

Luke held up a hand and pointed to a table in the corner.  "She's over there."

Rory smiled.  "Has she been here long?"

He shook his head.  "A minute or two… I was just going to bring her some coffee."

Rory nodded and walked over to the table and sat down across from her.

"Hey babe," Lorelai said looking up from her purse and then looked back down and started to dig through it.

"Problems?" Rory asked.

"I can't find my sunglasses!" Lorelai exclaimed.

Rory started to laugh.  "Why do you need them anyways?"

Lorelai ignored this question. "I was looking for a breath-mint while I waited for you and noticed that my sunglasses weren't in my purse," Lorelai explained as she flipped her purse over onto the table and dumped everything out of it.  After searching through the pile, she came to the conclusion that they weren't there.

Rory continued to laugh.  "Mom-" She started to say, but Lorelai stopped her.

"This is not funny Rory! This is a very serious matter!" Lorelai told her.

"Mom-"

"What would happen if I went outside and looked at the sun?  It would blind me!  You'd have to escort me everywhere, maybe buy me a dog…" Lorelai ranted.

"Or maybe Luke would…"

"What would I do?" He asked as he sat the coffee's down in front of them.

"Drag me around everywhere when I go blind," Lorelai said.

Luke looked at her curiously.  "Why are you going to go blind?"

"Because," She said in an 'it's so obvious' manner, "I can't find my SUNGLASSES!" She said, exasperated.

Luke laughed.  "Lorelai, your sunglasses are on top of your head."

Lorelai frowned and reached up to her head.  Sure enough, they were there.  She pulled them off quickly.  "How come you didn't tell me?" She asked Rory.

Rory laughed.  "I tried…you kept interrupting me!"

"Well…at least I won't be blind now," She stated.

Luke rolled his eyes.  "Food?"

"Hamburger and fries…" They both answered automatically.

"Right…it'll be out soon…" He walked away shaking his head.

Lorelai stuck her sunglasses into her purse before looking up and leaning forward.  "So, have you decided what to do about," She lowered her voice, "Jess?"

Rory twisted her lips to the side.  "I don't know…I'm thinking maybe call him…tell him how I feel…or ask him if we can meet and talk…"

Lorelai nodded.  "That sounds good…when are you going to do it?"

She furrowed her eyebrows.  "Tomorrow morning or afternoon?" She suggested.

"The sooner the better…"

Rory nodded, but was amazed that her mom was going along with this.  "Now are you sure-?"

Lorelai stopped her. "No, I'm not okay with it, exactly…but it's something that you need to do."

Rory nodded.  "Okay…then tomorrow it is."

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A/N: Got this one up quickly didn't I?  I would appreciate reviews. :D  Was it in character?  Are you liking it?  Should I write more stories after this one is done?  You have no idea how much review help to inspire and motivate you to write more.  Thanks! :D


	8. Chapter 8

I'd Rather Be There

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: not mine. Not mine. Not mine.  I don't even own the pen that I'm writing this with. lol. I kinda stole it. Or actually I borrowed it from my grandparents who stole it from the Hilton Hotel. lol. Oh well, anyways it's not mine.

Pairing: This will be a lit eventually

Rating: PG – 13

Summary: This is the sequel to I'd Rather Be Anywhere But  Here.  Jess was in California. Rory was at Yale.  Jess came back to Stars Hollow leaving Rory with a heavy burden to carry.  If you don't know what I'm talking about then go and read the above mentioned fic.

A/N: this suckers gonna be wrapping up pretty soon…maybe 2 chapters left, if I can stretch it out that long. lol. I think I'm on a roll. I just wrote down like a page of ideas for the next few chapters.  I'm in the car now, so I'll probably get some done now.  Oh and I'm going to assume that my distances and times are right, but I live no where near there so I would have no idea. If it's wrong then just tell me and I'll edit it. :D

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Jess sat at the table, staring hardly at the phone.  He was going to call Sammy, he had made up his mind…yet there was something that seemed to be stopping him, holding him back.

"I'm going to call," He said out-loud as more of a question than anything.

He picked up the phone and dialed the number.  It rang and he fought the urge to hang up.  He felt like he was betraying someone.  _No, I'm not betraying anyone. I'm not with anyone. _He reminded himself of these things as he waited.  She finally picked up.

"Hello?"

Jess cleared his throat.  "Um…Sammy?"

"Yes."

"Uh…hi, this is Jess…from the grocery store yesterday," He explained, wondering if maybe she wouldn't remember him.

"Hey, what's up?" She asked.

"Uh, nothing really.  I was just wondering if maybe you'd want to go out tonight?" Jess asked quickly.

She smiled on the other end of the line.  "Yeah.  That would be great…but…"

_Shit. _

"I have to work the night shift from 2:30 – 10:00," She finished.

"Oh."

"So I'd have to do a late lunch…would 1 o'clock be okay?" She asked.

"Uh…yeah."

"Okay, well I'll come by your apartment at like 10 'til?" She suggested.

"That's fine."

"Alright, I'll see you then. Bye," Sammy told him.

Jess hung up the phone and looked down at his watch.  _2 hours…_

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Rory climbed out of bed at 11:00 and pulled her clothes on quickly.

_I'm going to call him right now.  Right now…_

She grabbed the phone off of her desk and dialed the number to Liz's apartment.

The phone rang and rang.  There was no answer.

_Well…he's probably out or something.  I'll try again later… or I could…no.  I can't just show up there. But I do know the bus to take and where his mom's apartment is… I've been to New York before…. I could find it._

Rory thought about this for a moment.  _Yeah… then I can tell him in person as opposed to over the phone where he could easily hang up on me…._

Rory grabbed a piece of paper off of her notebook.

_Hey Mom,_

_I'm going to New York.  I'll be careful and safe.  Call my cell when you get a chance.  I'll be back sometime tonight._

_Love you,_

_Rory_

She placed this note on the kitchen tabled where she knew it would be found.  She would call her, but Lorelai had told her the night before that she would be in meetings all day and wouldn't be able to even look at her phone.

Rory walked into her room and grabbed a book off her bed which she proceeded to shove into her purse along with her wallet and cell phone.

She kicked on her shoes and grabbed a light coat before heading to the front door and locking it as she stepped onto the porch.

Rory walked quickly to Luke's where she bought a coffee and donut to go.

She was now sitting on the bench waiting for the bus to come.  _I can't believe I'm doing this.  I'm going to New York again…alone again…to chase Jess again._

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Rory sat on a bus, an hour later on her way to New York, zipping and unzipping her purse.  She had tried to read, but concentrating on that was impossible.  Her stomach was flip-flopping and her heart was pounding.

The bus came to a stop and Rory stood up.  _I could always just get on the next bus home…I don't have to see him…wait, yes I do.  I have to do this, I'm here and I'm not going until I've talked to him._

She slung her purse over her shoulder and walked towards the front of the bus.  "Thank you," She told the driver politely before stepping off.

Rory looked around, checking to see if she had gotten on the right bus after all, and sure enough, she had.

She pulled his address out of her purse.  She had copied it out of the phone book and then had downloaded directions off the internet.  His mom's apartment was only a block away.

She followed the map and found herself standing in front of a fairly shabby apartment building, only a few minutes later.

She pulled the door open, and looked at the names and apartment numbers that were listed on the wall.

Liz Mariano was in apartment 2C.  Rory climbed the stairs slowly and finally arrived at the door.

_Here it goes… _She took a deep breath before reaching up with a shaky hand and knocking twice.

A few seconds later a blond woman, who she figured was Liz, appeared at the door.

"Can I help you?"

"Uh hi," Rory paused to swallow.  "I was looking for Jess…"

"He's not here."

Rory sighed with relief.  "Do you know when he'll be here?"

"Actually he isn't living here," Liz told her.

Rory's face fell.  _He's back in California already…_

"But, I can give you directions to his apartment," Liz offered.

Rory frowned.  "His apartment?"

Liz nodded.  "Yeah, my boy got his own place." She smirked proudly.  "It's only a few blocks away.  Do you want directions?"

Rory nodded, suddenly finding herself unable to speak.

"Come on in," Liz said as she made her way into the kitchen.

Rory shut the door and followed silently.

"Are you a friend of his?" Liz questioned.

"Well…uh, yeah."

Liz scribbled a map onto a scrap of paper, also including the address and phone number, and handed it to her.

"Thanks," Rory said gripping it tightly.

Liz led her towards the door.

"I'm sorry for bothering you," Rory told her as she opened it.

"Oh it was no trouble at all…bye!"

Rory walked down the hall and exhaled.  _Wow.  His own place…he's really changed since last year._

She looked down at the paper as she stepped off the stairs.  _Only three blocks away…another short walk, good.  Hopefully he's home…_ She noticed his phone number.  _Maybe I should call him…_

She grabbed her phone out of her purse and entered the number.  _Um…maybe not… _She sighed.  _But if he's not home, then what will I do?  I should call._

She pressed enter and the phone started to ring.

Jess reached over and answered the phone, wondering who could possibly be calling.  "Hello?" He answered as he looked down at his watch.  It was 12:50 and Sammy would be there any second.

"Jess…hi," Rory said quietly.

Jess frowned.  "Rory? Why-"

"Can we talk?" She asked as she walked towards his apartment.

"Uh…no.  I've gotta go," Jess answered.  He was curious as to why she was calling, but he knew that if he didn't hang up, then he would be sucked into the guilt that he was feeling about going out with Sammy.

Rory furrowed her eyebrows.  "What do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean no, I can't talk. Bye," Jess said before hanging up.  He stared at the phone for a second before sighing heavily and resting his forehead against his hand, which was being supported by the table.

Rory's face was awe struck as she listened to the dial-tone.

Her expression changed to one of anger as she threw her phone into her purse.  _I come all the way to New York and he won't even talk to me?  What is this about?  I don't understand.  He loved me 2 weeks ago and now he won't talk to me?!_

Rory saw the sign for the Cedar Commons and approached the door.  She threw it open and slammed it shut before stomping up the flights of stairs.  She couldn't care less about the noise she was making.

She arrived at his door, all of her earlier nervousness gone, and brushed her hair behind her ear before knocking.

Jess stood up from the table and hurried to the door, thinking it was Sammy.

He swung it open and his jaw dropped as he saw Rory.

"Gee, I'd love to come in," Rory said sarcastically as she ducked under his arm and walked into the apartment.

He shut the door and watched her as she plopped into one of his chairs.

"I come all the way to New York to see you and you won't even talk to me?!" She exclaimed.

He raised an eyebrow at her and opened his mouth to speak but decided not to.

"Well, I need to talk to you!" She yelled.

"Rory-" Jess started to say something but stopped as a knock came from the other side of his door.

"This is just wonderful," He muttered under his breath as he turned around and opened it.

Rory's eyes widened as she saw Sammy.  She gasped.  "Oh…" She said softly.

Sammy frowned and looked at Jess, hoping he would explain.

Jess rubbed a hand down the side of his face and sighed. 

Rory jumped up from the chair and quickly walked towards the door.  She pushed past Sammy and ran to the stairs.  _He has a girlfriend.  I'm too late.  Why did I come?  This was so stupid.  I can't believe I was going to tell him… I just set myself up to get hurt again._

"Rory!" Jess called after her from his position in his doorframe.

She hurried down the stairs and felt her eyes start to sting.

She finally reached the bottom and pushed to door open.

Rory crossed her arms over her chest and ran to the nearest bench before stopping and slumping down into it, pulling her knees up and allowing the tears to flow freely.

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A/N: Please review! :D  Give me feedback on my writing and my story please.  I got about 2 reviews on the last chapter.  If you have any opinions about this chapter then please review and tell me. I'd love to hear them! :D Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9

I'd Rather Be There

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own it!

Pairing: This will be a lit eventually

Rating: PG – 13

Summary: This is the sequel to I'd Rather Be Anywhere But  Here.  Jess was in California. Rory was at Yale.  Jess came back to Stars Hollow leaving Rory with a heavy burden to carry.  If you don't know what I'm talking about then go and read the above mentioned fic.

A/N: I am sad to say that this is the end.  I hope you like it. It came to me this morning while I was sitting in bed. I had lots of fun writing this and I love you all who have reviewed! :D  And here it is….

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Jess looked towards the stairs before turning to look at Sammy.  "I'm sorry…I didn't know…" He looked back towards the stairs.

She looked at him and smiled.  "Go after her.  It's okay, go!"

Jess looked back at her before sprinting to the stairs.  _Why is she here….what have I done now?_

He got to the bottom of the stairs quickly and looked around for her as the door shut behind him.

He spotted her on a bench with her knees to her chest and her face buried in her hands.  _Don't be crying…_

He walked over to her slowly and hesitated before deciding to sit down next to her.

The sat there in silence for what seemed like ages, her crying softly and him staring intently at his hands.

"Rory-" He said quietly, breaking the silence, but not looking up.

She inched her way towards the edge of the bench.  "Go away!" She yelled, "Go find your girlfriend."

Jess looked up and watched her from the corner of his eye.  "She's not my girlfriend….I just met her yesterday and we were going to go out to lunch," Jess explained.

Rory sniffed and lifted her head up using both hands to wipe her eyes.  "Oh…"

"But I don't see how that's any different from your boyfriend."

"I broke up with him," She whispered.

"Oh…"  Jess cleared his throat.  "So…what are you doing here?" He asked.

Rory shifted on the bench.  _Is it too late?  Should I still tell him?  _"I came to talk to you."

He turned and faced her, beckoning her to look at him.  "So talk," He urged.

"No," She said stubbornly.  "You don't want to talk to me."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  "Rory, come on…"

A light wind started up and Rory shivered.  She glanced at him quickly and then looked away.  _I….can't do it.  But this is why I came.  _She remembered her mother's words, 'It's something you have to do….get it off your chest.'  _I have to do it…_

"Rory, just talk to me please…what did you come to say?" He asked, starting to become hopeful.

Rory exhaled deeply.  "I…I still have feelings for you, okay!  But it was stupid to come….it doesn't matter anymore," She said and then stood up, quickly walking away from the bench.

He raised both of his eyebrows in surprise, and his heart started to race as he got up from the bench and followed her.  "Rory…really?" He asked.

"Yes, really!" She yelled and quickened her pace.

He grabbed her hand and spun her around towards him.  "You still have feelings for me?" He asked again.

A look of annoyance spread across her face.  "Yes, god dammit, how many times do I need to say it?!" She shouted.

He smirked.

Rory frowned as she looked at him for the first time.  "Why are you smiling?!" She yelled.

"You still have feelings for me…"

Rory tried to pull her hand away from him but had no luck, so she turned around and stood there trying to walk, looking quite stupid.  "Will you just let me go? It doesn't matter, okay?" Rory requested.

He grabbed a hold of her other hand and turned her around to him, and then quickly let go and placed a hand on each of her shoulders.  "Rory…look at me…"

His touch sent chills down her spine and her eyes darted across his forehead.  "I am looking at you."

"Look at my eyes."

"I can't," She said to him.

"Yes, you can."

"Just let me go," She pleaded.

"Do you really want to go?" He questioned.

She shut her eyes for a second before reopening them.

Their eyes met and locked.

He leaned down slowly and gently placed his lips over hers, kissing her passionately, making up for his long absence.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, too caught up in the moment to realize what she was doing.

The realization finally hit her and she quickly pulled away from him and stepped back.  Her face was flushed and her cheeks were damp from the fresh tears that started to fall.

He looked at her confused.  "Rory…what's wrong?"

She wiped a tear off her face furiously.

He stepped forward, taking her hand in his and using the other to catch a tear.

"Don't cry," He whispered.

She looked at him sadly.  "I don't want to get hurt again…" She said, explaining her reason for pulling back.

He looked down.  "I know."

"So what do we do?"

He looked back up.  "Well…Yale is only about 30 minutes from here…if you drive fast…so I can visit you, and you can visit me on weekends maybe."

She nodded slowly.  "I want this to work."

She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"We'll make it work," He promised.

And there they stood, in the middle of the park, completely unaware of everything but themselves, clinging to each other tightly, afraid that if they let go that they'd lose again, and they each vowed silently that they would try everything to make it work.

She leaned up, inhaling his scent, and kissed him on the cheek.  "I've missed you," She told him.

He smiled and kissed her on the forehead.  "Me too…"

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THE END

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A/N: Review! :D  That's the end.  Was it in character?  A good ending?  Should I write more fics?


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